Sat 16 Nov 2024
Claverdon travelled over to Old Wheatleyans in what is always an enjoyable fixture for both sides. Old Wheats began the first half very strongly, pushing Claverdon back into their own 22 with multiple phases of play. Whilst they were on the front-foot, playing some good attacking rugby, a slight oversight from one of their phases of play allowed George Redwood to intercept the ball and run the length of the pitch unopposed to score under the sticks. James Williams added the extras to open the scoring 0-7.
After the restart it wasn’t long before Claverdon found themselves back in Old Wheats’ 22. With some great phases of play using the whole width of the pitch, it was Calvin Lynch who spotted a gap in the defence to dart through and score under the sticks. James Williams again added the extras to take the score to 0-14. Old Wheats knew they had to do something to get a hold back on this game, and credit where credit is due, they did just that. Some well drilled lines outs and back’s moves allowed them to break through the Claverdon defence and score in the corner. With the conversion successful, it brought the score to 7-14.
As half time closed in, the score remained 7-14.
From the kick-off Claverdon found themselves in the Old Wheats half having just received a penalty. They opted for the kick, which James Williams kicked successfully, giving them a small bit of breathing room. The score now 7-17. It wasn’t long before Claverdon again found themselves on the front foot off the back of some well-planned backs’ moves. There was lots of movement from the attacking line to switch play from one side to the other, which ultimately shifted the defence and left some opportunities. Ben Hawks, recently back from injury, snatched those opportunities without hesitation and darted through to score a decent individual try. James Williams, yet again, with the conversion, making the score 7-24. Just as Claverdon thought they were pulling away, in true Old Wheats fashion, they put their heads down and re-grouped. In very quick succession they were awarded a penalty under the posts which they kicked successfully, and they scored from a well-planned maul from a line-out and successfully kicked the conversion too, making the score 17-24.
The realisation hit Claverdon that this game was not over, and they switched into attacking mode again with the fresh legs of Charlie Wakelam and Josh Smallwood off the bench. There was a period of bombardment from the Claverdon forwards who played phase after phase to gain territory and place the team in Old Wheat’s 22. From this platform the backs expressed their abilities to carry through contact, which led James Williams to smash over the line and score under the posts. As he’d done all afternoon, he successfully kicked the conversion, and set the score 17-31.
With time running out, the Claverdon defence held strong to deny Old Wheats from scoring a try, however, a silly penalty in a crucial area allowed Old Wheats to kick for goal, making the score 20-31.
This concluded the game with a huge away win for Claverdon.
The Man of the Match was James Williams for his kicking and try scoring abilities, which was kindly sponsored by Kentfield Private Finance. Next week there’s no league action, but the following week sees Claverdon travel to Broadstreet on Friday 29th November for an evening game under lights.
Report by James Kirby
